Courage is Notre Dame Academy hockey player's linemate

Friday

Jan 24, 2014 at 1:37 AMJan 24, 2014 at 10:45 AM

Notre Dame Academy hockey player Kristina Hill of Milton has no trouble holding her own on a hockey rink, as a spokesperson for stroke awareness, or in life itself. The 18-year-old has battled back from a stroke she suffered when she was in the eighth grade.

Dick TrustFor The Patriot Ledger

Kristina Hill was carrying a huge, blue duffel bag stuffed with all of her hockey gear as she walked out of the locker room Monday night at Pilgrim Arena.

While stopping to talk with well-wishers and other admirers of the irrepressible 18-year-old stroke survivor, Hill had the weighty bag shift now and again off her right shoulder. At 5-foot-4, she struggled to keep hold of the bag that appeared to carry her.

Don't let that fool you, though. Hill has no trouble holding her own on a hockey rink, as a spokesperson for stroke awareness, or in life itself. A junior forward for Notre Dame Academy of Hingham, the determined Milton resident stands tall as a living, breathing profile in courage.

One person who engaged Hill in conversation that night was Tom Findley, head coach of the Hingham High girls team that had just handed Notre Dame a 6-2, non-league loss. Hill made her varsity debut in that game and, although her ice time was limited, she took advantage of the opportunity and played well.

"I told her I was very proud of her and that we'll sponsor her for anything else she'll do, whether it be a walk for the American Heart Association or whatever," Findley said after the game, which was a fundraiser for stroke and heart disease awareness.

"She's a courageous girl we look up to. We're proud to be part of this. Like I told (Notre Dame head coach Jean-Yves Roy and assistants Kevin O'Brien and Liz Fitzgerald), to put her out on the first shift was awesome, great sportsmanship."

After taking part in two ceremonial faceoffs, Hill started the game at right wing on a line with junior left wing Taylor Lyons and sophomore center Caroline Hocking.

Hill played the first 52 seconds and the last 3 seconds of the opening period, then played a half-shift and the final minute and 6 seconds of the third period.

She and fellow juniors Ashley Driscoll and Hannah Gillan are "swing players," in that they practice with the varsity but see most of their action with the junior varsity. They had dressed for varsity contests before, but only Gillan had logged varsity ice time – until Monday, when Gillan assisted on the game's final goal, by sophomore defenseman Haley Marshall.

"I wanted to make sure Kristina got ice time," Roy said, mindful of the fundraising evening and Hill's role in it. "She definitely is part of the team."

Said Findley, "She's a great girl and a good player. To have a stroke in the eighth grade and come back and be able to compete and do something she really loves . . . I can tell she's so well-liked by the team. It just tells you that no matter what happens in life, you can face challenges and overcome them. She's an inspiration to me and to my team. And this was just a great event."

Also a Milton resident, Findley knows the Hill family well. Among the clan is Kristina's uncle, former Red Sox pitcher Rich Hill, who is now a free agent.

Kristina Hill was overjoyed at skating for the varsity, which had a 3-5-2 record after Monday's contest.

"It was awesome," she said, "really thrilling because I knew it was a really big game for me and my family and especially for the Heart Association. I was nervous. But once you get rid of the butterflies in your stomach, you just play the game."

Hill's family – from parents Kate and Lloyd through aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends – shared the special moment they weren't sure they'd ever experience after March 23, 2010. That was the horrific day when Hill, then only 14, sustained the stroke, rare for one so young.

A blood clot in her brain left her bedridden and in rehabilitation for more than a year and a half. She had to repeat eighth grade at Pierce Middle School in Milton. She still has some weakness in her right arm and leg, but it barely shows when she skates.

"She does have a little lack of strength, but she makes up for it with her determination and her willingness to compete," Roy said. "She works hard. If she hadn't told me that she had a stroke, I would not have guessed."

Hill was home with her brother, Lloyd, when the stroke occurred. She said she heard the sound of "a loud bang in my head." Lloyd heard nothing. Then her body was becoming immobile, her balance teetering, her voice silent, her vision impaired. She vomited. She fell. It wasn't until a few days later, at Boston Children's Hospital, that the stroke diagnosis was confirmed.

Lloyd is now a junior at Milton High where he plays on the boys varsity hockey team. Kristina's younger sister, Laura, is a Pierce eighth-grader playing hockey on the Milton High girls varsity.

After all of her rehabbing, the most trouble Hill has is with her penmanship. "My handwriting looks like that of a second-grader," she said, "but I work at it every day and it's getting there. I see improvement."

While she helps raise funds for heart disease and stroke research and awareness through walks and other events, she also spreads the word by speaking to elementary and middle school classes. Her first talk to high school students will be extra special: It will be at her own Notre Dame Academy, scheduled for Feb. 11.

She embraces her role as the face and voice of stroke awareness.

Her message to students?

"Stay active because you never know what could happen," she said. "What happened to me was a freak thing because I was very active. My life changed in the blink of an eye. You might donate a dollar or $20. Whatever you donate could save a life, including mine."

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